DARREN Manning hailed George Rose and Rhamar Garrett-Douglas as they got their Hullbridge Sports careers off to a winning start.

The duo were brought straight into Sports’ starting line-up for the 1-0 Thameside Trophy first round win over Canvey Island.

And boss Manning has high hopes for the duo.

“They were superb at Canvey,” said Manning.

“You can tell they have come in with great pedigree and they fitted in very well.

“They will prove to be great additions for us going forward and I’m looking forward to working with them more as the weeks go on.”

Goalkeeper Rose has joined on loan from Milton Keynes Dons.

Garrett-Douglas has made the switch from Barnet on an initial short-term loan deal.

The new arrivals helped Sports to see off Canvey in the Thameside Trophy.

Manning insists he is taking the competition, which has returned following an 11-season hiatus, seriously and he was pleased to see Kieran Bishop grab the winner.

“I wanted a reaction after a poor performance at Maldon & Tiptree on Saturday and I got it,” added Manning.

“The players executed their tasks to a good level, which I was very pleased about.

“This competition has a lot of history, so we want to see how far we can go in it.

“Scoring goals is what I brought Bish into do.

“It’s been a little stop-start for him after picking up an injury early into his spell with us but he is over that now and we want him to hit the ground running.”